Foldable stretcher handle



March E: L, SCHOFIELD ET AL FOLDABLE STRETCHER HANDLE Filed Feb. 19, 1943 Patented Mar. 20, 1945 12,371,711 7, Q FOLDABLEYFSIRETCHER' HANDLE .tEarli-L. 'schofield, Auburn, Ind, and Walter T. r Jacobs, .Freeport, 111., assignors to HenneyYMoa 1 Delaware a W o ma me 1 a corporation of,

Appfication February. 19, 1943,' S erialRNo.d76;452

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This invention-relates to 'st'retchrs especially designed and adapted for use in ambulances. The ninety stretcher is too long to permit storage crosswise of. the vehicle in a storage compartment "under the floor of an ambulance. Storage inan out-oi the-way place is particularly important in the inch 490-") length standard latest'civilian defense type of ambulances, =be

. cause it is desired to. use' thes'e ambulances for the evacuation of uninjured ohildren and aged people frorn densely populated areas under bombardment; such ambulances; being usually equipped with -fo'ldin-g- "seats-to permit such use.

It is, therefore, the principal object of ourinventionwto providdaquiqkly and easily foldable and unfold'able- =handle-construction for use on the ends of the wooden poles of an otherwise standard stretcher, so that standard length stretchers with the handles folded can be stored easily in the stretcher storage compartment of the ambulance.

A salient feature of thefoldable handle of our invention is the pivoting of the handle in a plane a tional integral handle -portionflon the end of the.

pivotally securing the cars 14' provided on the lower end of a. plate t5 whichis'welded or otherwise suitably secured onto the end. of the tubular handle portion 16. "The' plate 15 in theunfolded positionof the handle '1 has abutment with the I flatly cutoff end 5-of the pole .4, and that fact coupled'with the factrthatthe handleiis pivoted at 1&3, :well below-the plane of the stretcher, :avoids any likelih'ood of the handle being wobbly. I The handle-Idssubstantially as rigid asgthe convenstretcher pole. Inasmuchtas the overall length of ithechandle T is :more than eight. inches (8 andzthe handle folds toutlie dottedline'position shown in Fig. .1, under and parallel to :the' pole :4, j

wholly within the length of the shortened pole, it

should be evident that the diminished length of the stretcher is about seventy-four inches (74' overall, or less, and the stretchercan therefore be stored easily in a storage compartment extend ing crosswise of the ambulance, such compartments being usually provided below the floor and below the plane of the stretcher so that the handle has a wide surface abutment with the end of the stretcher pole and will not, therefore, be wobbly, and another salient feature is the provision of a catch pivoted on the end of the pole to swing downwardly from a'retracted inoperative just behind the drivers cab and accessible by the opening of doors on opposite sidesof the ambulance. This foldable'handle can easily be applied to existing stretchers, and this is, of course,

position into engagement withthe top portion of the handle so as to retain the handle releasably in the operative position.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in whichr a Fig. 1 is a side view of the end portion of a stretcher showing the foldable handle of our invention and indicating in dotted lines the folded,

position of thehandle;

Fig. 2 is a top view with the end portion of the stretcher pole broken away to better illustrate the construction, and

Fig. 3 is an end view.

The same reference numerals are applied to corresponding parts throughout the views.

The'reference numeral 4 designates one of the two wooden poles of a standard length stretcher, the conventional handle end portions of which are cut oil at 5, near the ends of. the canvas sheet 6, to permit application of the foldable handles 1 of our invention. A channel-shaped sheet metal bracket 8 fits under each end of each pole 4 and is bolted in place by bolts 9 entered through vertical holes Ill inthe poles.' Downwardly projecting ears H are suitably welded on the end of each bracket 8, as indicated at [2, and have bolts I3 in the lower end portions thereof for of great advantage in the present emergency in view of the fact that there are many thousands of 1 these stretchers already assembled andready for use'or in use already in all parts of this country and elsewhere.

In order to be sure that the handle 1 when unfolded and ready for use will not drop down under its own weight or become displaced accidentallyfrom the operative position and thus, interfere with the handle of the stretcher as speedilyas where the conventional non-folding handle is employed, we have provided a catch l8 of U-shaped form pivoted on the end of the pole 4 on a cross-pin l9 entered through a hole drilled crosswise in the end portion of the handle slightly belowthetop thereof, the pin being entered "through holes in the ends of the two arms of, the

swingable from a retracted position, indicated in andjfolded out of theway; The catch l8in' no way interferes with the grasping of the handle in lifting, carrying, and otherwise handling the U-shaped catch and having its opposite ends headed to prevent removal thereof. The catch is dotted lines in Fig. 1, to the operative position shown in full lines, in which it receives the upper end portion 20 of the plate 15 which projects, above the handle portion IE to the extent shown. In that way the handle I is secured in its operative position and can nevertheless be released quickly stretcher, and it has sufiicient frictional contact with the plate [5 to eliminate any likelihood of its accidental displacement from the handle retaining position, especially in view of the fact that it tends to gravitate toward the handle, if the pivotal connection at 19 happens to be loose enough to permit free movement of the catch under itslown weightp It is believed the foregoing description conveys a good understanding of the objects and advantages of our invention. The appended claims have been drawn to cover all legitimate i modifications and adaptations. 7

We claim;

1. In a stretcher comprising a-pairof longi-' tudinal load supporting poles, foldable handles for the ends of the poles each comprising a supporting bracket secured to the end of the pole, a handle member having a downwardly projecting end portion pivotally connected at its lower end to said bracket on a single horizontal axis in transverse relation to and spaced below the end. of the pole, said :handle member being adapted to be unfolded to operative position having end to end abutment with the pole above said pivot but being adapted to be folded to an inoperative position disposed below and substantially parallel to said pole, and a U-shaped catch pivotally mounted by the'two arms thereof on the end of the pole on a horizontal axis extending transversely relative to said pole, said handle member having anupward projection on top of the pivoted end thereof engageable in said catch behind the cross-portion thereof when said catch is swung downwardly to handle retaining position. c i s 2. In a stretcher comprising a pair of Iongitudinal load supporting poles, foldable handles for the ends ofthe poles each comprising a supporting bracket secured to the end of the pole, a plate adapted to extend vertically in abutment on one side thereof with the end of the pole and pivotally connected at its lower end with the bracket on a horizontal axis in transverse relation to and spaced'below the'end'of the pole, a handle extending from the other side of said plate substantially at right, angles thereto but spaced 'below the upper end of the plate, and a U-shaped catch pivotally mounted by the two arms thereof on the end of the pole on a horizontal axis extending transversely relative to said pole, said catchbeing arranged to swing down over the upper end portion of said plate so that the latter engages the inner side of the crossportion of said catch.

3. In a foldable handle for a stretcher or the like the combination of a load supporting pole, a handle supporting bracket secured to the end of the pole, a handle adapted to be pivotally connected to the bracket and having a cross portion on the inner end thereof for abutment against the end of the pole when the'handle is in its operative position, the cross portion on the end of the handle comprising a portion projecting downwardly with respect to the handle and-pivoted on the lower portion of the bracket and also comprising a portion projecting upwardly with respect to said handle and catch means for detachably'. securing said upwardly projecting portion in abutment with the end of the pole.

EARL-L. SCHOFIELD.

WALTER T. JACOBS. 

